People's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army (or simply PLA) is the armed forces of the Communist Party of China. The army was established (founded) on 1 August 1927. The People's Liberation Army is the largest military force in the world. It has about 2,250,000 personnel or employees (about 0.18% of the population of China) under the Central Military Commission.
| People's Liberation Army 中国人民解放军 | |
|---|---|
 Emblem of the People's Liberation Army | |
| Established | 1 August 1927 |
| Parts |  PLA Ground Force PLA Navy PLA Air ForceSecond Artillery Corps |
| Leadership | |
| Leaders of Central Military Commission | Xi Jinping (Chairman) Zhang Youxia (Vice-chairman) He Weidong (Vice-chairman) Xu Qiliang (Vice-chairman) |
| Minister of National Defense | General Li Shangfu |
| Chief of PLA General Staff | General Liu Zhenli |
| Serving soldiers | |
| Military age | 18–49 |
| Conscription | None enforced |
| Available to be a soldier |
385,821,101 males, age 16–49 (2010 est), 363,789,674 females, age 16–49 (2010 est) |
| Fit to be a soldier |
318,265,016 males, age 16–49 (2010 est), 300,323,611 females, age 16–49 (2010 est) |
| Reaching military age annually |
10,406,544 males (2010 est), 9,131,990 females (2010 est) |
| Active employees/soldiers | approximately 2,285,000(about 0.18% of population) [1][2] (ranked 1st) |
| Reserve personnel | 800,000[1][2][3] |
| Deployed personnel | Overseas: ~300 anti-pirate personnel in Somalia [1] Paramilitary: approximately 1,500,000[1][2][4] Total: 4,585,000~ [1][2] (ranked 6th) |
| Expenditures | |
| Budget | US$119 billion (2013)[5] (ranked 2nd) |
| Percent of GDP | 1.46% (2012 est.) |
| Industry | |
| Suppliers from foreign countries |
 Russia [6] |
| Annual imports |  Israel Turkey United States Russia
|
| Annual exports |  Indonesia Cambodia Malaysia France Pakistan Bangladesh United Kingdom Turkmenistan Hungary Eritrea Kyrgyzstan
|
| See also | |
| History | History of the PLA Modernization of the PLA |
| Ranks | Army Navy Air Force |
The PLA consists of five main branches: the PLA Ground Force, PLA Navy (PLAN), PLA Air Force (PLAAF), Second Artillery Corps (strategic missile force), and the PLA Reserve Force. Military service is compulsory (required) of for all men and women who reach the age of 18.
People's Liberation Army Media
People's Liberation Army Flag of the People's Republic of China
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Flag of the People's Liberation Army
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Flag of the People's Liberation Army
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Flag of the People's Liberation Army
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Flag of the People's Liberation Army
PLA troops entering Beijing in 1949 during the Chinese Civil War
Chinese troops gathered on a T-34/85 or a Type 58 medium tank leaving North Korea in 1958, 5 years after the Korean War ended with an armistice (a ceasefire) in 1953. The banner in the background of the picture bears a slogan (in Chinese) which declares "The Friendship And Unity of the North Korean And Chinese Peoples Are Always Steadfast And Strong!"
Marshal Lin Biao surveying the soldiers during the 10th-anniversary military parade in 1959.
The PLA Honor Guard in Beijing, 2007
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 IISS 2010, pp. 398–404
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Military Strength of China". Globalfirepower.com. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
- ↑ "Chinese Military Overview". SinoDefence.com. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
- ↑ Chinese People's Armed Police Force (CAPF)
- ↑ "China Boosts Defense Spending as Military Modernizes Arsenal". Bloomberg. 5 March 2013. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
- ↑ "China / Aircraft / Jianjiji / Fighter". GlobalSecurity.org.
